https://youtu.be/MXQiwGqdohA

FAITH OR LAW?  YOUR CHOICE

Romans 3:27-31 NLT “Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.   29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course, He is. 30 There is only one God, and He makes people right with Himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do, we truly fulfill the law.”

Can we boast about salvation, that we did anything to be accepted by God?  NO!

It is by faith that we are saved not by the works we do.  Can you imagine if it was by works that we were saved?  First of all, that would be a lot of hard work trying attain eternal life.

I can’t imagine what church would look like…I assume it would look more like corporate offices, some acting better than others because of their achievements, others fighting and backstabbing to get to the top, there would be a lot of competition and comparisons, and others would probably be discouraged and give up because they would probably feel like they can’t keep up with all the craziness. 

BUT praise God that it is only by faith that we are saved, we can’t boast that we have done anything to be accepted by God.

“Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Gal 6:14 NKJV “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 

According to Galatians 3:19 The purpose of the law was to show people that their sinful actions are offenses against God. It was designed to last only until the promised child, the Messiah.

The Jews we were all about obeying the law, they observed the sabbath, fasted, prayed at required times, followed required rituals, tithed etc.; which there is nothing wrong with the fact that they did these things, the problem was that this to them was just a routine, it wasn’t about their faith in God or a need for a relationship with Him.  Jews believed it was all about works.They believed as long as they did what the law required of them, then they were righteous before God.   They honored the Mosaic law (which was given by God, yet they rejected Jesus.  (Sounds like what is happening today.  Many call themselves Christians, yet their lifestyles clearly reject Jesus.)  They pick and choose what scriptures they want to follow.  The Jews clearly rejected scriptures like Isaiah 53 that talks about the coming Messiah who would be despised and rejected by His very own.

Their faith was not in God but in His laws.

Some current churches – homosexuality

We can fool people, but we can’t food God.

It doesn’t matter how perfectly we try to follow the laws of God, at some point, actually at many points we all fall short of His glory.

Romans 3:10 NKJV “There is none righteous, no, not one.”

Romans 3:23 NKJV “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

It is only by faith and the power of Christ within us that we can live a life pleasing to Him.

28 “So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”